Led by frontman and renowned narcotics addict Pete Doherty, Babyshambles' new record, Shotter's Nation, is pleasant enough, but ultimately forgettable.
With bombs falling in Iraq, tensions rising with Iran and Russia and the stock market at its shakiest in years, what would be a better album to bring back than Rage Against the Machine's controversial, self-titled debut album?
Robert Walter is reluctant to call himself a jazz musician. As a solo artist and member of the soul-jazz act Greyboy Allstars, the organist/keyboardist/pianist pits himself as on the cutting edge of the scene, fusing traditional jazz with funk, rock, and dance.
Radiohead, the critically acclaimed, genre-bending rock act, is homeless. Not literally, of course - you won't find Thom Yorke begging for pocket pence outside the Tube.
There hasn't been much happening in the Balkan indie music scene since we last heard from Beirut. In 2006, their stunning debut, Gulag Orkestar, impressed listeners with its unconventional Eastern European sound, erupting from a massive horn section.
Street: Sum up your band in an offensive quote.
Zach: We're explosive like Iran.
Street: Why should anyone in his right mind come see Leviathan perform?
Zach: I prefer they come not in their right minds.
Ben: When was the last time someone heard a Leviathan?
Magic leads off with "Radio Nowhere," the Boss singing of "Sitting around a dead dial / Just a-searching for a world with some soul," lamenting the state of the modern-day music industry.
Let's recap: This is the Canadian folk singer-songwriter's first proper new release in seven years, she is signed to Starbucks' Hear Music label and her voice has grown noticeably huskier.
As an angst-addled adolescent, my favorite Nirvana song was "Oh, Me" from the MTV Unplugged record. When I eventually replaced cassette with CD, I discovered in the liner notes that "Oh, Me" and two other tracks were in fact Meat Puppets covers.
It's only been four years since Philly-based DJ Diplo co-founded Hollertronix - the collective/mixtape series that launched both his career and the mash-up craze.
Animal Collective
Strawberry Jam
2/5 Stars
Animal Collective is back with the same non-rhythmic, glitchy sounds they explored on their last full-length, Feels.